UK
UK Nightclub Study Hosts First Lawful Gathering in Over a Year With No Social Distancing, 3,000-Capacity
The UK suffered the highest pandemic death toll in all of Europe, but the nation’s reopening strategy is moving forward with promise amid a high rate of vaccinations. Large-scale events have been on ice for over a year, but depending on the results of a new series of test events taking place in the UK, the region’s nightlife sector could be back in action in the near future. On Friday Liverpool’s Circus nightclub drew 3,000 attendees for an event designed to study the spread of COVID-19 among a non-socially distanced population, according to the Associated Press. Attendees had to produce a negative test prior to the event, but once inside they were free to dance, mingle, and enjoy performances from Jayda G and Lewis Boardman, all without masks. Thousa...
Skream Leads Lineup for UK Post-Lockdown Celebratory Parties at Nando’s Restaurants
Nando’s has become one of the world’s leading restaurants, best known for its legendary flame grilled PERi-PERi chicken. The restaurant chain is not currently known for hosting thrilling parties with top-notch DJs, but that’s all set to change this June. Nando’s “Yard Unlocked” is a series of events that will hit cities across the UK in celebration of the end of the nation’s lockdown, according to the current roadmap instituted by the UK government. The parties will hit five cities: Leeds, Birmingham, London, and Bristol are currently confirmed, but Nando’s is leaving the fifth city up to voters, who can register at the Nando’s Yard website. UK electronic music legend Skream will perform at Nando’s’ “Yar...
Britain’s best long-distance footpaths
Britain’s best long-distance footpaths provide excellent access to the UK’s outdoors while showcasing the finest scenery our isles have to offer When you think of the best long-distance hiking trails from around the world, little old Britain probably wouldn’t top of your list. Hikers will more likely be drawn to the Triple Crown of the Appalachian, Continental Divide and Pacific Crest trails in the US, New Zealand’s Great Walks or the famous Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp treks in Nepal. However, the UK does have an extensive network of long-distance footpaths. Managed by the National Trails in England and Wales and Scotland’s Great Trails north of the border, the UK has thousands of miles of tramping to be discovered – and the network continues to expand....
10 best hikes in New Forest National Park
The best hikes in New Forest National Park reveal a quintessential slice of English countryside Despite its name, the New Forest is neither new nor much of a forest. The region was first declared a royal hunting preserve in 1079 by William the Conqueror and the landscape is more heathland (the most extensive area remaining in Europe) than contiguous woodland. The word ‘forest’ actually descends from Old French for ‘hunting ground’. Contradictions aside, the park is home to patches of woodland made up of both native and non-native trees. There are Victorian-planted fir and redwood lined avenues as well as groves of ancient oak and yew trees believed to be over 1,000 years old. Quaint villages are connected by a web of delightful footpaths and cycling tracks that showcase a variety of wildli...
Coronavirus: Nigeria has vaccinated over 1 million people – NPHCDA
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that Nigeria had so far vaccinated over a million eligible people out of its target of 70 percent of the nation’s population. The NPHCDA disclosed this on its official Twitter handle, on Thursday. Newsmen report that for the country to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, it had set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 per cent by the end of 2022. The country kicked off vaccination on March 5, 2021, commencing with healthcare workers who are mostly at risk to the infections, being the first responders. It noted that the vaccine roll-out would be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, l...
How love affair gone bad led to imprisonment of Prophet Israel Oladele
When the Lagos State Court of Appeal granted the Senior Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Genesis Global, Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe, a post-conviction bail last week, on grounds of failing health, quite a number of people, particularly members of his congregation, were very happy with the news. This is because the televangelist’s previous bail applications were all turned down. Oladele was arraigned on seven counts bordering on obtaining by stealing, inducing delivery of money by false pretences, unlawful conversion of property and forgery, fraudulently collected N14m and £12,000 in various tranches from the complainant between August 30, 2002 and 2005. He was found guilty on two counts of stealing and unlawful conversion of property not delivered. And on November...
Prince Charles pays tribute to ‘my dear papa’ Philip for devoted service
Britain’s Prince Charles paid a personal tribute on Saturday to his “dear papa” Prince Philip, saying the royal family missed him emormously and that the 99-year-old would have been amazed at the touching reaction across the world to his death. Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth who had been at her side throughout her record-breaking 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday. “As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously,” Charles, the couple’s eldest son and heir to the throne, said outside his Highgrove House home in west England. “My dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful f...
Nigerian senate wants travel passport documents renewable abroad via post
The Senate is making moves to make it easier for Nigerians in diaspora to renew their passport documents. It specifically wants to make it possible for Nigerians to be able to renew the documents abroad via post. The lawmakers also want more centres where passports can be renewed abroad as well as the removal of ‘middlemen’ in the process. These are some of the resolutions the lawmakers took on Wednesday after they deliberated a motion on the “urgent need to remove the difficulty faced by Nigerians outside of the shores of Nigeria in renewing their Passport” sponsored by Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South). The move by the Senate comes at a time when Nigerians both within and outside Nigeria have decried difficulty in the process of obtaining a new travel passport as well as renewing one. A...
England and Wales Push for Women’s Safety via Police Patrols in Nightclubs
A new plan proposed by the British government seeks to station uniformed and plainclothes police officers within bars and nightlife venues in England and Wales. The plan was introduced as a means of protecting women from harassment and abuse at the hands of predatory offenders. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a “series of steps” being taken to improve safety measures for women after a proposal for a national registry of stalkers was rejected by the House of Lords, The Guardian reports. The proposal, Project Vigilant, includes an additional £45 million that will go toward the “Safer Streets” fund to improve CCTV and lighting in neighborhoods. Johnson’s plan would also seek to place officers in parks and public areas...
Nokia to cut up to 10,000 jobs worldwide
File Photo Telecoms company Nokia has announced its plan to cut between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs globally in the next two years. It said the move will enable it reduce cost, catch up on 5G, and invest in cloud computing and digital infrastructure research. Nokia said on Tuesday that the restructuring is aimed at boosting its performance against opponents such as Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei. The company did not indicate regions affected by the measure, but said about 96 jobs in the UK were under threat as part of the €600m (£518m) cost cuts, BBC reported. A Nokia spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We currently expect the consultation process in the UK to cover an estimated 96 roles.” “At this stage, however, these are only estimates. It is too early to comment in detail, as we have o...
Illegal UK Rave in Abandoned Bank Vault Busted by Police
Upon hearing loud music emanating from a vacant bank in London, police entered the building to find an illegal rave taking place inside the bank’s vault. The bust occurred at 8AM local time last weekend, and 44 people were found to be in attendance. Over 40 attendees are facing fines of £800, the current penalty for those engaging in group events amid ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Officers have not yet determined who the organizer of the event was, but that individual could face penalties of up to £10,000 for their involvement. “It is disappointing some selfish people still insist on breaking Covid regulations,” Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Bowen said. “We are all excited about the prospect of returning to normal in June – and some chan...
Chelsea owner takes legal action over ‘Putin’s People’ book
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has launched legal action for defamation over the book Putin’s People. The Blues owner’s case relates to “a number of false and defamatory claims made about our client in the book published by HarperCollins.” The book was written by author Caterine Belton and contains a number of claims about Abramovich and others close to Russia president Vladimir Putin. Abramovich’s statement, published on Chelsea’s club website, says: “Today my legal representatives have issued legal proceedings in England in relation to a book that was published in the UK. The book contains a number of false and defamatory statements about me, including about my purchase, and the activities, of Chelsea Football Club. “Today’s action was not taken lightly. It has never been my ambition to ...